Becoming Minimalist~ (is that even a word?)

Living as we do, surrounded by more than 100 acres of cropland that lays un-planted for approximately 4 months of each 12, I've learned to live with dust....and wind....and wind that brings the dust! Oh, I moan and groan about it from time to time, until the first Camellia blooms on the tree, or I pick an orange or watch a sunset from an unobstructed view......then I remember exactly why it is I live among the dust and the wind. But, I digress......

Over the past five years, I have spent a lot more time dusting then ever before, (or saying that I need to dust more then I ever have before~).....and so I've begun to minimize what I use to accessorize. In November I stuck to my plan of minimalist decorating when re-accessorizing the freshly painted rooms using only those items that were either functional or suited an old farmhouse. I really love the clean old fashioned look but I love the much quicker time it took to dust everything even more! And then came Christmas decorating.....

Every Christmas, I say that I'm just going add touches of Christmas to the house; I promise myself that I'll only add to the decor; that I won't be boxing up the normal accessories to make way for the Christmas accessories. And each year, it seems that every thing I pull out of the Christmas box has a memory attached to it......and it just has to be displayed.

David and I have spent 26 years of Christmas's together and the children have each received ornaments from friends and family for each year of their lives, they've made ornaments in pre-school and elementary school and Sunday school .....we have way too many decorations to ever be able to display them all.....and yet, each year, up those items go....I never could make the decision as to which one could just be ooohed and ahhhhed over and then put back in the box.....

But, I've been strong this year....I've stuck to my new minimalist ethic......and there are a lot of decorations and ornaments that have gotten a simple "I remember you" before I put them back in the Christmas Box.....along with a promise that "Nikki (or Dallas or Hunter) will enjoy you in their own home later". Despite the difficulty in putting those precious memories back in that box, I'm truly enjoying the simplicity of a home that has touches of the season instead of a home that has been transformed from its normal simplicity and functionality.

I think that after Christmas, I'll take some of these memory filled decorations and make various wreaths for each of the children......I said that last year too, but this year...since I've been able to stick to my minimalist plan, maybe I'll stick to this plan as well....there's always hope.